Monmouth University president condemns racist photos in old yearbooks

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WEST LONG BRANCH - Monmouth University's outgoing president has condemned "racist and hurtful" images, including depictions of people in blackface, that appeared in university yearbooks dating back decades.

The statement Wednesday from President Grey J. Dimenna comes in the wake of a scandal surrounding Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam and his college yearbook, where a photo on his page shows students in blackface and Ku Klux Klan garb. The scandal prompted Monmouth University officials, as well as other schools across the United States, to review decades of their own yearbooks.

"While the majority of the images across yearbooks published from 1949 to 2017 were appropriate, we have identified 13 photographs in yearbooks from the 1960s through the 1980s containing racist and hurtful depictions," said Dimenna, who steps down from his post July 31. "Ten of the photos depict individuals in blackface, while an additional three are offensive to other religious or cultural groups."

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He said the images did not identify the people in them, and some lacked context of the related campus event or activity.

"These pictures are offensive and do not reflect the values of Monmouth University today," Dimenna said.

He said finding the pictures was "uncomfortable and embarrassing" for the university, but that the discovery provides an opportunity for "constructive action."

Monmouth University isn't alone in its discovery. The USA TODAY Network found numerous instances of blatant racism on college campuses dating back to the 1970s, in a review of 900 yearbooks and publications from 120 schools across the nation.

Racist photos were found in yearbooks from Cornell University in New York, the University of Virginia, and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign among others. Reporters found more than 200 examples of offensive or racist material at colleges across 25 states, including New Jersey.

"This type of imagery requires us to engage in more discussion, acknowledgment and education," said Dimenna. "In the words of Nelson Mandela, 'Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.' It is my desire to use this self-examination of our past to educate our current community and affect ongoing change in our campus conversations."

Blackface, KKK hoods and mock lynchings:Review of 900 yearbooks finds blatant racism

Dimenna said he tasked the university's Advisory Council on Diversity and Inclusion, the head librarian and other campus experts to "add context to this upsetting and painful part of our history."

"I am confident that we can turn this neglected chapter into a teachable moment that will enhance our ongoing efforts to become a model of inclusion, honesty, and academic excellence," he said.

The school's Board of Trustees announced in December that Patrick F. Leahy would become the school's 10th president, effective Aug. 1. Leahy has led Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, since 2012. Dimenna's tenure as president began in February 2017. His tenure ends July 31.

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Amanda Oglesby: @OglesbyAPP; 732-557-5701; aoglesby@gannettnj.com